Device for dispensing towels.



I. W. MODANIEL.

DEVICE FOR DISPENSING TOWELS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.13, 1912.

1 1 1 7,878. Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

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I. W. MCDANIEL.

DEVICE FOR DISPENSING TOWELS.

Patented Nov 17, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13, 1912.

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IRA W. IVICDANIEL, 015 CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR DISPENSING TOIIVELS.

Application filed September 13, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IRA WV. MODANIEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Champaign, in the county of Champaign and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices for Dispensing Towels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a simple and improved device for dispensing towels in a simple, easy and eflicient and sanitary manner, the object of the invention being to provide a container of simple and improved construction in which a stack of clean towels may be placed and supported with means whereby the towels may be projected one by one, preventing access to more than a single towel at one time.

A further object of the invention is to simplify and improve the construction and operation of the towel supporting and feeding means.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifica tions within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is a front elevation of a device constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 9. is a sectional view taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4c is vertical sectional view taken on the line 4 l in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of the device as it appears when partly filled with towels.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The box or casing of the improved towel dispensary is composed of two hingedly connected parts or members designated, respectively, A and B, A being the front member and B the rear member. The front member A includes a front wall 1 having a mirror 2 embedded therein and provided with a top flange 3 and side flanges at. The rear member B includes a rear wall 4 having a top Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Serial No. 720,252.

flange 5 and side flanges 6, said top flange 5 being connected with the top flange 3 of the front member A by means of hinges 7, enabling the parts or members A and B to be folded tightly together to present a box like structure or casing. Hooks and staples S and 9 have been shown for the purpose of connecting the members A. and 13 together in folded or closed relation, but it is obvious that a suitable lock may be employed for the purpose of preventing access to the casing by unauthorized persons. The front member A is provided at its lower end with a downwardly and rearwardly inclined flange l0, and the rear member B is provided at. its lower end with a downwardly and forwardly inclined flange 11, said flanges being spaced apart to afford a slot or opening 12 therebetween at the bottom of the casing. The rear member B is provided with an eye or staple 13, whereby it may be hung or suspended in position for operation.

Upon the inner face of the rear wall 4: of the rear member B, adjacent to the top flange 5, is secured a transverse cleat 14 with which presser board 15 is connected by a link connection to be presently described, the lower end of said board being normally forced in a forward direction by the action of suitably arranged leaf springs 16. The cleat 14 is provided with a spike which is slightly bent in an upward direction to form a hook 17. The lower end of the presser board is movable in the direction of a roller 18, the journals of which are supported for rotation in the side flanges 4 of the front member A of the casing or cabinet, one of said journals being provided with a crank 19 whereby the roller may be rotated. The surface of the roller is preferably roughened or corrugated in any convenient manner; for example, by coating the surface of said roller with coarse sand, as indicated at 20.

In operation, in order to place the towels in the casing, the front member A is swung to an open position, and a stack of towels may then be placed within the member B of the casing, said stack being partly supported by means of the hook or spike 17, which latter, however, is only of sufficient length to penetrate comparatively few of the towels, the purpose of said hook being to support the bottom portion of the stack and prevent the same from being drawn out of the casing prematurely. In the act of placing the stack of towels within the casing B, the presser board 15 is obviously forced in the direction of the rear wall 4 and against the tension ofthe spring 16. l/Vhen the member A of the casing is restored to a closed position, the roller 18 will contact with the uppermost or outermost towel near the lower edge of the latter, and it will now be understood that by rotating the roller, the said uppermost or outermost towel will be forced out of the casing, the surfaces of the towels being sufiiciently smooth to enable a single towel to slide off the stack and to be projected through the slot or opening 12 at the bottom of the casing. The uppermost or outermost towel of the stack will at all times engage or be engaged by the roller 18, which latter, as soon as one towel is removed will engage the one next in order which will now be in position to be projected from the casing.

It will be seen that by this simple device, the towels will be kept in a clean and sanitary condition, and only one towel may be projected at one operation of the device, it being understood that approximately two revolutions of the roller will suffice to discharge a towel. The device, however, may be operated by simply rotating the roller sufficiently to project the lower edge of a towel which may then be grasped and pulled from the casing when the roller will engage the one next in order.

The hinge members C whereby the upper end of the presser board 15 is connected with the cleat 14: are preferably composed each of three leaves or members, namely, upper and lower leaves 21 and 22 which are secured by screws or other suitable fastening means, respectively, upon the cleat 1 1 and upon the presser board 15, and an intermediate loose leaf 23, which latter constitutes a link, enabling the upper edge of the presser board 15 to be pushed forward of the cleat 14: by the action of the springs 16. This last mentioned. position of the presser board is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

When a fresh supply of towels is to be placed within the casing, the front portion thereof is swung open, and the stack of tow-' els is placed within the casing in such a fashion that the presser board 15 will be forced rearward against the tension of the spring 16 to the position shown in Fig. 4;, some of the towels being impaled on the prong 17. A suitable supply of towels should be placed within the casing to fill the same without pressing or squeezing the towels very tightly together at the top, in order to afford ample room for the feed roller 18 which, when the casing is closed, will bear a ainst the topmost towel of the stack near the lower end of the latter, as clearly seen in Fig. 4. When the roller is rotated it will act frictionally against the topmost towel Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing which will be fed downward through the slot 12 where it may be grasped by the hand and easily withdrawn. As towels are being withdrawn from the casing, it is obvione that the pressure of the stack of towels against the upper end of the presser board will gradually decrease, thus causing the upper end of said presser board to be gradually forced in a forward direction by the pressure of the spring 16, such movement on the part of the presser board being permitted by the link 23 which constitutes a part of the hinge. The result will be that the lowermost towels of the stack will be disengaged from the prong 17, so that they may be eventually removed without danger of being torn or injured. It will thus be seen that the prong 17, while serving to support the stack of towels, while the box is full, will not interfere with the removal of the towels including the last one.

As will be seen from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, I have provided a very simple and efficient device for keeping towels in a clean and sanitary condition and enabling themto be conveniently obtained as needed for use. The device will be ordinarily suspended upon "the wall of a lavatory, and the mirror front will be found a convenient and desirable accessory.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. In a device of the class described, a casing comprising two hingedly connected members constituting a boX or cabinet having a discharge aperture at the lower end thereof, a cleat secured in one of said members near the upper end thereof and having relatively short prong projecting forwardly therefrom, a presser board, a link connecting the presser board movably with the cleat, a roller supported for rotation in the other member near the lower end thereof, and a spring engaging the presser board near the lower free edge thereof to project the same forwardly.

2. In a device of the class described, a casing having a discharge slot in the bottom thereof, a feed roller supported above the slot adjacent to the front wall of the casing, a relatively short supporting prong extending forwardly from the back Wall near the upper end of the casing, and a link supported spring actuated presser board disposed below the prong, said'looard being spring actuated in a forward direction.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IRA W. MCDANIEL.

Witnesses:

S. A. MURDUCK, E. L. Monsoon.

the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

